Features
Q&A with Juliet Sikora
“Sunshine, sunglasses, cold beer and half naked people = brilliant! ” Juliet Sikora takes on the rapid fire Q&A.
WHY DANCE MUSIC?
I was surrounded by electronic music since i was a child. My dad was a big fan of Jean Michel Jarre and Kraftwerk. I guess, he showed me the way into electronic music.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO MAKE MUSIC?
My love into music, music is a part of my life!
FESTIVALS OR NIGHTCLUBS?
In the summer i prefer the festivals, because the mood is different. Sunshine, sunglasses, cold beer and half naked people = brilliant! In the winter, it’s back to the clubs….
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF THE STUDIO?
I´m really into sport. Jogging helps to relieve me from stress and frees my mind from the daily grind. And after all the gigs and tours, there’s nothing i love more, than relaxing on the sofa with my husband and my 2 cats – Dr. Evil and Minimi!
WHATíS NEXT ON THE HORIZON?
Well, my new track with Paji (Dimension/Kittball) is out now. In May another track will be released, which i produced with my buddy Ante Perry. Some other projects and remixes are in work in progress. Maybe something new with Tube & Berger hmmm… who knows?!?
WHAT WAS THE BEST GIG YOUíVE EVER PLAYED?
Good question, to be honest i can´t name a certain one, as all my gigs are pretty spezial. There are some that stand out more than others, like MAYDAY, playing in a cave in Croatia or the Nature One festival.
WHATíS THE WORST THING ABOUT MAKING MUSIC?
That there is no on/off creative button in my head, sometimes you´re sitting in the studio and you´re trying to be so creative and the output is zero!
DO YOU PREFER DIGITAL OR VINYL WHEN DJING?
I started on Vinyl, but nowadays i use Record Box USB sticks and the Pioneer RMX 500 in my dj gigs.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCERS? WHY?
My all time favorite producers are Daft Punk. Their music was/is/allways has been mind-blowing for me.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE BLOGS OR SITES?
The Techno Kittens & TRND Musik are my favs at the moment. They always show good taste in music and Word And Sound if you are searching for music other than on Beatport.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLUGINS?
I´m a big fan of Massive, Fab Filter and Sylenth.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A TRACK IS FINISHED?
Its a feeling in my stomach, but to be honest, when you start exporting the file you are never 100% certain that the track is finished.
WHAT íS YOUR FAVORITE SOFTWARE AND/OR STUDIO GEAR?
I work with Ableton, plus a lot of plug-ins. My home studio isn´t really desinged for producing tracks from start to finish, it’s more of a think-tank for my ideas. For finalizing my work, i always use the Kittball studio, where the set-up is a lot more better equipped.
IF YOU WEREN’T PRODUCING MUSIC WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU DO?
I really don´t know, my plan from the beginning was to earn my money with music. For the last 15 years i have been working in the music biz, but I always had a plan B. I went to university and i have a degree as a bachelor of business administration and event management.
WHAT KIND OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO UP AND COMING PRODUCERS?
Producing is much easier than it was in the past, but it’s important to keep at it. Don´t give up, even if a certain record label turns you down. There’s plenty more others out there!
Dimension is out now and available at Beatport.
You can follow Juliet on her Twitter, SoundCloud, Facebook and Instagram pages.